They are all square characters, with rigorous structure, stable and dignified, balanced size, etc. There are five types of Chinese characters: Zheng, Cao, Li, Zhuan and Xing. Each font is named after the calligrapher's surname according to various styles. For example, in regular script there are Ou (Ouxun) style, Yan (Zhenqing) style, Liu (Gongquan) style, etc. It’s really a body within a body, it’s dizzying!
There is a font, but it is not named after the founder’s surname. It is named after the dynasty. This is Song Ti.
The founder of Song typeface is Qin Hui. This Qin Hui is erudite and talented, and is very accomplished in calligraphy. He combined the strengths of his predecessors and created a font of his own for printing. According to general custom, it should be called Qin Tizi. However, due to his poor character, he was a representative figure of the capitulation faction during the anti-golden struggle. He once killed the national hero Yue Fei and his son on unfounded charges and became sinners through the ages. Therefore, people hated him. Although the font he created was used, it was not Name the font Songti.
It originated from the Song Dynasty, but Song style characters were established in the Ming Dynasty.
Song font is the most widely used font in the printing industry. According to the different shapes of the characters, it is divided into Shu Song Dynasty and Bao Song Dynasty. Songti is a printing font that originated from the woodblock printing in the Song Dynasty. Song font has a square shape, horizontal and vertical strokes, thin horizontal and thick vertical strokes, sharp edges and corners, rigorous structure, neat and even, and strong regularity of strokes, which makes people feel comfortable and eye-catching when reading. In modern printing, it is mainly used for the text part of books or newspapers.
The Song Dynasty "promoted literature and education and suppressed martial arts", and culture showed unprecedented prosperity. The printing and publishing industry entered a golden age in the Song Dynasty. Block printing flourished, book engraving centers developed rapidly, and movable type printing was invented. A large number of copies of the Song version were reproduced in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and Song-style characters were established in the Ming Dynasty. Song-style characters are easy to write and engrave, and the fonts are beautiful and dignified. They adapted to the operational requirements of the printing and publishing industry and became a witness to the cultural perfection of the Song Dynasty.
China The combination of calligraphy and woodblock printing produced Song-style characters. Therefore, Song-style characters not only have the charm of Chinese calligraphy, but also have the charm of woodblock printing and woodblock engraving.
1. Song-style characters inherit the aesthetic charm of Chinese calligraphy
In addition to the unique pictographic and pictorial characteristics of the Chinese characters themselves, the unique writing tool brush is the art of Chinese calligraphy. The most important reason for calligraphy. The brush is soft and elastic, capable of bending and twisting at will, with a certain degree of relaxation, and can freely and freely express various changes in thickness, size, straightness, hardness and softness of lines. It can also imbue the calligrapher's emotions with it. This "soft pen" can be used horizontally, vertically, to point, to skim, or to suppress, forming the unique formal characteristics of Chinese calligraphy. When a calligrapher's skill reaches a certain level, with the brush in his hand, the words are no longer words, and the dots and lines are written as he pleases, ever-changing, to the point where the written words seem to have a life state.
Song style characters still maintain the essential characteristics of Chinese calligraphy in strokes. When comparing it with Tang Kaiyan style, we can see more clearly that the dots, strokes, strokes and the pauses at turning points are a highly artistic summary of the calligraphy brushwork.
From the perspective of the development of Chinese character writing, the regular script of the three masters of the Tang Dynasty was the pinnacle of the stylization of Chinese calligraphy. Regular script is a model. Therefore, it is logical that it has become a model for Chinese block printing. When tasting and designing Song calligraphy, it is very important to pursue the charm of Chinese calligraphy, woodblock knife flavor, and woodblock printing traces. If there is no such feeling, it is just artistic calligraphy. For example, the current round style and variety style have no flavor of traditional calligraphy at all.
In addition, from the perspective of Song style characters, the regular scripts of the three masters of the Tang Dynasty lost the free-spirited passion and agility required for the art of calligraphy due to their pursuit of squareness and stylization. Tang Kaihua is too stylized, making people easily think of Song-style characters. In fact, Tang Kaiji is the model for today's Song-style characters. They are like mature and upright elders, unruly and lacking the courage to change, thus losing their freedom. chance.
Although the regular script of Tang and San masters brought great convenience to later calligraphy practitioners, it can be said that people studied portraits. They were all Liu Gong and Yan Gong, but they had no personality. It is difficult to learn this method and become a calligrapher. It can be a model for beginners to practice calligraphy and write good calligraphy, but it cannot be a model for calligraphers.
Calligraphers should directly follow the Qin, Han, Wei and Jin, especially the calligraphy of the Han Dynasty, which is expressive and heroic, such as "Han Bamboo Bamboo Slips", "Taishan Sutra Shiyu Diamond Sutra" and so on.
Tang Kaishu is the pinnacle of Chinese calligraphy and regular script. What is facing the pinnacle? It's a downhill climb, it's a fresh start. Tang Kai is also the starting point of Song Ti characters.